France upset the two-time defending World Cup champion United States behind a constant attack from Evan Fournier as he continues his revival.
The United States had stormed back to a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter. They chipped away at a double-digit lead France built meticulously through the first half. Their size gave the U.S. problem and they slowed the game to a crawl, keeping the U.S. fast-break at bay.
That is never enough to keep the Americas down. They always have a chance. And with each whirling Donovan Mitchell drive, they took the lead back and caught France stretched thin and Rudy Gobert outside the paint.
France had to find its groove again. And the ball found itself in Evan Fournier‘s hands. He was their go-to guy throughout the whole tournament, switching between him and Nando De Colo to man the ball late in games. They would have to rely on them once again.
Everyone wanted to see whether Evan Fournier could keep up his dominant play throughout the tournament against the defenders the U.S. could throw at him.
So there was Evan Fournier with Marcus Smart on him in a close game as France tried to hold onto their lead and score the huge win.
Smart was pesky as ever, knocking the ball away from Fournier and forcing him to retreat. Fournier is perhaps not the elite ball handler that could take on Smart without some hindrance. But Fournier has looked composed and balanced the entire tournament. He has shot confidently.
So he calmly collected the ball and then quickly attacked. He found his gap and drove, finishing with his left hand at the rim.
France had the lead again. With Rudy Gobert serving as a backstop and the U.S. going into a shell, including missing four of their final five free throws, France was the team intimidating the two-time defending World Cup champions.
They are champions no more. Fournier scored 22 points to lead France in scoring as France upset the United States 89-79 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup. France advances to play Argentina in the semifinals while the U.S. will play Serbia in the 5-8 Classification Game.
It was a disappointing end for an ill-fitting United States team that found its identity defensively but ultimately did not have the consistency on offense or the size inside — or, even on the perimeter — to get all the way to the final against more experienced and together teams.
France was a team that would give the U.S. a lot of problems. And Fournier was a big part of that.
As France began building its lead early in the game, it was Fournier providing the spark.
He had 13 of his 22 points in the first half as he ran around screens and drove the ball with comfort and composure. Hitting those early shots allows Fournier to hit some of his crazier shots, including a fading-away 3-pointer from the corner in the second quarter.
Fournier picked up his points early in the game working pick and rolls and spotting up from beyond the arc. France did a good job getting their feet into the paint, whether it was establishing Rudy Gobert in the post or getting Fournier going downhill.
France found space to attack and picked the U.S. apart to build their lead.
Things cooled off in the second half. But Fournier was still effective even as he started to cool off. He did not take too many wild shots — he made one shot where he forced a basket over two defenders — and stayed patient running pick and rolls.
On one key possession in the fourth quarter, the U.S. tried to double Fournier off a pick and roll. He picked up his dribble and seemed to lose his outlet, but he was able to pivot away from trouble and shovel the ball to Gobert for a two-handed jam.
With the U.S. increasing its pressure on Evan Fournier, he dished the ball to Nicolas Batum or Frank Ntilikina on several occasions to feed Rudy Gobert on the inside or for them to get an open shot.
France had a lot more trust with each other and it showed at the end of the game.
Mitchell was brilliant for the United States, especially in the third-quarter comeback, scoring 29 points. But he was largely silent in the fourth quarter as the U.S. tried running isolations with Kemba Walker (10 points 2-for-9 shooting). France adjusted and kept Gobert in the lane and deterred any attack that did not include some ball movement.
France answered all the questions the U.S. asked of them. They had the matchup advantage and continually exploited it, attacking the paint with the U.S.’s lack of size.
Orlando Magic
That included Fournier.
Everyone was curious to see if Fournier would copy some of the gaudy scoring lines he has had throughout the tournament in a setting like this. And Fournier stepped up.
No one will confuse Fournier with an elite pick-and-roll ball-handler. He will not be able to go straight to the NBA and average 20 points per game in the exact same way.
Gobert is one of the best screeners in the entire league. He sprung Fournier for downhill attacks and that got Fournier scoring at a solid clip throughout the game. And really throughout this tournament. He has had a ton of space to read defenses as he comes around Gobert’s screens.
But Fournier has put to rest any thoughts that last year’s shooting was anything but a blip. He has looked confident on the ball and with his shot falling, that confidence has only risen.
France rode that confidence through group play and through some tight games earlier in the tournament. They rode it through this game against the mighty U.S. too. And Fournier, as he tends to do in big moments, stepped up in a big way. Even if it was to make the right pass.
This tournament continues to bode well for Fournier’s return to the NBA.
He keeps building confidence and rebuilding faith in his game with each win. That is probably secondary though.
The primary thought is Fournier is the leading scorer and the most impactful player for a team that is in the semifinals of a major international tournament. With the chance to do much more.